System and method for automating customer-validated statement of work for a data storage environment

ABSTRACT

Computer systems and methods are disclosed for improving professional services delivery, such as services in a data management environment. In certain examples, computer systems comprise portals for transmitting and receiving information from parties involved in the performance and receipt of professional services. For instance, a first portal can receive data (e.g., from sales personnel) descriptive of a customer&#39;s product environment. A manager module populates a record with the data, and a second portal provides the customer with access to the record for review, correction and/or validation prior to the generation of a Statement of Work or other like project description. The second portal can also request additional information from the customer regarding the product environment. The manager module compares the data received through the first portal with the customer-entered information to identify and/or address discrepancies between the sets of data and customize the generation of the Statement of Work.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/044,261, filed on Mar. 7, 2008, which claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.60/906,177, entitled “Systems and Methods for Professional ServicesAutomation,” filed Mar. 9, 2007, each of which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the invention relate to workflow automation and, inparticular, computer systems and methods for professional servicesmanagement.

2. Description of the Related Art

Professional services' automation (“PSA”) applications are often used byorganizations whose work is project-based and/or human resourceintensive to make their operations more efficient and/or their resourcesmore productive. In general, PSA applications comprise enterpriseresource planning software usable by individuals and organizationsworking in a project-oriented environment. For instance, PSAapplications can be used by a company's internal service departments(e.g., IT department) and/or can be beneficial to consultants andorganizations providing billable services, such as, for example,accounting services, computer system implementation teams and others.Use of a PSA provides specific organizational value in the reduction ofjob costs associated with the delivery of consulting services tocustomers.

Many conventional PSA applications are provider-based and directed toprovider-specific workflow issues. For example, certain PSA applicationsmanage professional service provider time, expense and billing reports,while other PSA applications identify to a provider which resourcesand/or personnel are available for a particular project. Such PSAapplications are generally focused on the provider's needs and improvingworkflow and/or efficiency for one or more established projects.

Moreover, professional service providers must often coordinate projectsremote to the provider that are distributed in different geographicregions. Certain companies have attempted to address geographic issuesin professional services management by turning to a combination ofMICROSOFT Office applications (e.g., OUTLOOK, EXCEL, Word, Project).Such solutions, however, limit information sharing between geographicregions or countries within international organizations. Moreover, thelack of integration of these programs between different regions tends todegrade efficiencies associated with the communication of key datapoints regarding information gained in the field.

SUMMARY

In view of the foregoing, a need exists for computer systems and methodsfor providing a systematic approach to the automation of workflowassociated with managing professional services delivery. Moreover, aneed exists for improved systems and methods for automating servicedelivery business processes more efficiently. For instance, there is aneed for improved professional services automation and project-lifecyclemanagement in the data management area.

For example, there is a need for an improved services management systemthat obtains customer validation of a pre-sales effort prior to thepost-sale deployment of professional services. For instance, computersystems and methods disclosed herein can obtain customer validation ofthe customer's product environment prior to the generation andperformance of a Statement of Work (SOW), a work breakdown structure orthe like in order to provide more efficient and accurate professionalservices tailored to the needs of the customer.

In certain embodiments of the invention, a network (e.g., internet,intranet) accessible computer system is provided that automates theprocess by which a professional services group and/or individual scopesor defines a professional services project, engages a customer orclient, and/or closes each professional services engagement. In certainembodiments, the computer system includes a network accessible interfacein the form of one or more web portals accessible by the servicesprovider and/or the customer.

For example, the network accessible interface can comprise a portalhaving three subsites: a “Pre-Sales Portal,” a “Client Portal,” and a“Post-Deployment Portal.” The portals are then used to collect relevantsite data for each project to be delivered by the professional servicesprovider. For instance, the data can be used to ensure that an onsiteengineer has information regarding the customer site productconfiguration, status, and customer expectations necessary to completethe engagement on time and/or at an appropriate level of customersatisfaction. Information regarding the delivery of professionalservices can also be collected and maintained in a searchable repositorypost-deployment, which can assist professional services and customersupport organizations to better manage relevant details associated witheach deployment's successes and/or issues. In certain embodiments, thethree subsites are interconnected, enabling workflow automation andtransition validation from potential projects, to those that must bescheduled, to those that are completed and then preserved for audit andorganizational shared knowledge.

In certain embodiments, a computer system is disclosed for automaticallyidentifying service recommendations for data management environments.The computer system comprises a plurality of records corresponding to aplurality of data storage system environments and a first portal moduleconfigured to receive first data regarding a first data storage systemof the plurality of data storage system environments, the first datastorage system corresponding to a customer. The computer system furthercomprises a manager module in communication with the first portal moduleto receive the first data, the manager module being configured populatea first record of the plurality of records with the first data. Thecomputer system also includes a second portal module in communicationwith the manager module and configured to transmit the first record forreview by the customer, the second portal module being furtherconfigured to receive validation input from the customer with respect tothe first record, wherein, after receiving said validation input, themanager module is further configured to automatically generate aproposed project description of services to be performed with respect tothe first data storage system based at least on the first data from thefirst record.

In certain embodiments, a computer system is disclosed for automatingworkflow for services in a data management environment. The computersystem comprises means for storing records corresponding to a pluralityof data storage system environments and means for receiving first dataregarding a first data storage system of the plurality of data storagesystem environments, the first data storage system corresponding to acustomer. The computer system also includes means for populating a firstrecord of the plurality of records with the first data and means forproviding the customer with access to the first record, said means forproviding being further configured to receive validation input from thecustomer with respect to the first record, wherein, after receiving saidvalidation input, said means for populating is further configured togenerate a proposed project description of services to be performed withrespect to the first data storage system based at least on the firstdata of the first record.

In certain embodiments, a method is disclosed for automating workflow inthe performance of professional services. The method comprises receivingfirst data indicative of a product environment of a customer and storingthe first data in one or more records. The method further includesproviding the customer with access to the one or more records through anetwork accessible interface and receiving validation from the customerregarding the first data of the one or more records. The method alsoincludes, following said receiving the validation, automaticallygenerating a description of one or more recommended services to beperformed with respect to the product environment based at least in parton the validated first data.

For purposes of summarizing the disclosure, certain aspects, advantagesand novel features of the inventions have been described herein. It isto be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may beachieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention.Thus, embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a manner thatachieves one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein withoutnecessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggestedherein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a data flow diagram of a workflow automationenvironment according to certain embodiments of the invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate screenshots of exemplary embodiments of portalpages for facilitating data collection by the pre-sales portal of theworkflow automation environment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates a screenshot of an exemplary embodiment of a portalpage for obtaining project-specific information from a customer by theclient portal of the workflow automation environment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 illustrates a screenshot of an exemplary embodiment of a portalpage for obtaining project completion information by the post-deploymentportal of the workflow automation environment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 illustrates a screenshot of an exemplary embodiment of a“Customer Site Visit Report” completed by the field personnel of theworkflow automation environment of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate flowcharts of exemplary embodiments of workflowautomation processes usable with the workflow automation environment ofFIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In professional services environments, project scope, risk, andsite-specific project knowledge are workflow elements that generallyrequire consistency from project concept to project completion. Creationof a common project workflow, per engagement, expedites the transmissionof knowledge necessary to scope a project, complete a project andvalidate the effectiveness of service delivery. In certain embodiments,this expeditious processing of relevant project details substantiallydecreases the time scales associated with the successful completion of aproject thereby reducing per project costs. Whereas certain conventionalPSA applications provide some level of pre-sales to post-salescollaboration on project creation and completion, such PSA applicationslack means for obtaining customer validation of the pre-sales effortprior to the post-sales deployment. Certain embodiments of the inventionaddress this and other significant drawbacks of conventional PSAapplications by including interim validation by the customer of thecustomer's product environment, which advantageously exposes any gapsbetween the customer's expectations and the provider's quote of specificprofessional services before delivery of the services.

Certain embodiments of the invention can also integrate the workflow ofa plurality of parties associated with the delivery of professionalservices, such as those that sell services, those that provide services,and those that receive services. For example, embodiments of theinvention can be used to “close the loop” associated with the successfulimplementation of those services at a customer site. Based on thesuccess of that implementation, secondary systems within the serviceprovider's organization can also become more efficient (e.g., financedepartment, support department). For example, a stored history of eachcompleted project can be later used by account management teams forreference generation associated with completed projects that matchcurrent opportunity requirements, thereby reducing the time to close forsales opportunities.

As disclosed herein, certain embodiments of the invention include acomputer system comprising multiple modules, or portals, that obtaininformation pertaining to the workflow associated with one or moreprojects. Such portals can comprise network accessible interfacesthrough which a professional services provider and/or client or customercan input data relating to a particular project. Furthermore, in certainembodiments, a professional services workflow automation processadvantageously includes: (1) customer validation of the project scopeand deliverables prior to deployment of the associated services, and/or(2) an automated analysis of potential issues within the customerproduct environment that may impede a successful services engagement,and/or provision of information regarding exception handling relevant tospecific projects whereby site specific licensing or services areneeded.

Certain embodiments of the invention are advantageously used inconnection with professional services relating to data managementsystems, such as those services and systems provided by CommVaultSystems, Inc. (Oceanport, N.J.). For instance, certain embodiments ofthe invention described herein can be used in connection withCommVault's SIMPANA storage management system or CommVault's QINETIXstorage management system, details of which are further included U.S.patent application Ser. No. 09/354,058, filed Jul. 15, 1999, theentirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety to be considered a part of this specification. In yet otherembodiments, the professional services automation system can be used inconnection with a modular storage architecture, such as CommVault'sGALAXY, which is more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,880, issuedApr. 5, 2006, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety to be considered a part of this specification. However, it iscontemplated that the inventions disclosed herein may also be applicableto other professional services environments, such as, for example, withhardware deployment, accounting services or the like.

The features of the systems and methods will now be described withreference to the drawings summarized above. Throughout the drawings,reference numbers are re-used to indicate correspondence betweenreferenced elements. The drawings, associated descriptions, and specificimplementation are provided to illustrate embodiments of the inventionsand not to limit the scope of the disclosure.

In addition, methods and functions described herein are not limited toany particular sequence, and the acts or blocks relating thereto can beperformed in other sequences that are appropriate. For example,described acts or blocks may be performed in an order other than thatspecifically disclosed, or multiple acts or blocks may be combined in asingle act or block.

FIG. 1 illustrates a data flow diagram of a workflow automationenvironment 100, according to certain embodiments of the invention. Inparticular, embodiments of the workflow automation environment 100 canbe used, by a professional services provider to scope a potentialproject, engage a customer or client, obtain validation of thecustomer's product environment prior to the sale and/or delivery ofprofessional services, and/or close each professional engagement.Moreover, the workflow automation environment 100 allows for bothprovider and customer input during multiple stages throughout theworkflow automation process.

Embodiments of the workflow automation environment 100 are designed toobtain customer validation of pre-sales input concerning the customer'sproduct environment. Such validation can be advantageously obtainedprior to the post-sale deployment of professional services and/or thegeneration of a Statement of Work or like project scope definition.

As shown, the workflow automation environment 100 comprises a workflowautomation system 102 that provides for retrieval, display, and oranalysis in connection with the delivery of one or more professionalservices to a customer. In certain embodiments, the workflow automationsystem 102 comprises one or modules, such as one or more softwareprograms executable on one or more processors. In certain embodiments,the workflow automation system 102 executes on a single server or ahighly available, clustered web environment, such as the corporate webserver provided by CommVault Systems, Inc. (Oceanport, N.J.).

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the workflow automation system 102 comprises aplurality of interfaces, or portals, usable to display and obtaininformation from a plurality of users. In certain embodiments, theplurality of interfaces is used to collect relevant site data for eachproject to be delivered by the professional services provider. As shown,the illustrated workflow automation system 102 comprises a networkaccessible portal (e.g., a web portal) that includes three subsites: apre-sales portal 105, a client portal 110, and a post-deployment portal115. In certain embodiments, each of the three subsites 105, 110 and 115is housed on a server. In other embodiments, the subsites can bedistributed across multiple servers or like computing devices in networkcommunication with each other and/or one or more common databases forstorage of information. Although the workflow automation system 102 isdescribed with reference to multiple portals, it will be understood fromthe disclosure herein that the system 102 can comprise a single portalaccessible through multiple subsites or interfaces.

In certain embodiments, the pre-sales portal 105 receives data regardinga potential sales opportunity for a customer environment. For instance,in certain embodiments, the pre-sales portal 105 receives data from oneor more sales personnel 120, or sales engineers, regarding informationabout a customer's product environment. Such information regarding theproduct environment in a data management setting can include, forexample, the amount of disk memory, the types of storage media, thetypes of disaster recovery systems, the application(s) running on thecustomer's computer system, particular services requirement(s),combinations of the same and like information.

In certain embodiments, the pre-sales portal 105 provides the salespersonnel 120 with specific questions and/or prompts to obtain the dataregarding the customer's product environment. For instance, in certainembodiments, the sales personnel 120 may enter information through thepre-sales portal 105 during an initial meeting with a customer. Inaddition to the product environment data discussed above, the salespersonnel 120 can also obtain and enter data regarding customer contactinformation, the customer's professional services expectations, customerworking hours, combination of the same or the like.

In one example, the pre-sales portal 105 can prompt sales personnel 120to answer one or more of the following questions or prompts to gatherdata regarding a customer's data management environment:

-   -   a. What are the customer's expectations with regards to        professional services delivery? (e.g., small deployment,        standard deployment, custom deployment)    -   b. Are there any special events or phases that would require the        services to be broken up into multiple delivery dates? If so,        please describe.    -   c. Please input any specific deadlines (e.g., less than two        weeks, less than 30 days) the customer is trying to meet for        this deployment.    -   d. Please give a description of the environment and architecture        developed during the sales campaign.    -   e. Were there any cost or labor savings targeted for this        deployment? What aspects of the product configuration and design        should the professional services provider focus on?    -   f. Are there any additional comments/instructions that the        professional services provider should know in order to        accurately quote services/achieve customer goals?    -   g. Is the customer deploying new infrastructure components        (network, servers, storage, etc.) that could affect the        scheduling of the deployment? If so, what are the changes and        what are the timelines for the deployment of these components?    -   h. What are the customer's working hours?    -   i. Does the customer have a formal Change Control process? If        so, please describe the process.    -   j. Are reboot windows defined for certain systems?    -   k. Will professional service field personnel have Administrator        access to all the servers to be configured?    -   l. Will the customer assign an administrator to assist the        professional service field personnel?

As will be understood from the disclosure herein, the sales personnel120 can advantageously access the pre-sales portal 105 from a locationremote to the workflow automation system 102, such as at the customer'ssite. For instance, the sales personnel 120 can be in networkcommunication with the workflow automation system. 102 through apersonal computer, workstation, laptop, personal digital assistant(PDA), smart phone, cell phone, portable computing device, combinationsof the same or the like in order to enter data into the pre-sales portal105. For example, one or more of the users of the workflow automationsystem 102 (e.g., sales personnel 120, personnel services manager 125,customer 130, professional services operations personnel 135 and/orfield personnel 140) can access one or more of the portals 105, 110, 115through the use of a browser of an electronic device. In certainembodiments, the user can also enter information through a disconnectedbrowser or other software that later forwards/uploads the pertinentinformation to the workflow automation system 102. In yet otherembodiments, data regarding the customer product environment can beautomatically generated based on one or more monitoring applicationsand/or records of prior projects or services performed in the customerproduct environment.

For instance, FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate screenshots of exemplaryembodiments of portal pages for facilitating data collection by thepre-sales portal 105. In particular, FIG. 2 illustrates an example of aportal page 200 that includes prompts and callouts for facilitating datacollection by the pre-sales portal 105. FIG. 3 illustrates an example ofa portal page 300 that includes free text fields available to gatherdata defining specific requirements on a per-project basis. It will beunderstood from the disclosure herein that the pages 200, 300 provideexamples of single pages or portions of a page and can be combined withother data entry pages to obtain relevant information regarding thecustomer's product environment.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, a manager module 117 is incommunication with the pre-sales portal 105. In certain embodiments, themanager module 117 receives customer-specific data obtained by thepre-sales portal 105. For instance, in certain embodiments, the datacollected by the pre-sales portal 105 is used to populate one or morerecords 119 pertaining to the specific customer's product environmentand/or recommended services relating thereto. In certain embodiments,the manager module 117 maintains the record(s) 119 and updates theinformation therein, based, at least in part, on information receivedthrough the portals 105, 110, 115.

As shown, the manager module 117 further communicates with aprofessional services manager 125. In certain embodiments, the managermodule 117 and/or the professional services manager 125 uses the dataobtained by the pre-sales portal 105 to scope and/or generate a quotefor applicable professional services based on the customer's productenvironment data. For instance, the manager module 117 can automaticallygenerate a Statement of Work or other professional services projectdefinition, identify potential risks associated with a particularproject, create a timeline, estimate costs, combinations of the same orthe like.

The client portal 110 also communicates with the manager module 117. Incertain embodiments, the client portal 110 advantageously provides acustomer 130 access to the workflow automation system 102. For example,the client portal 110 can provide the customer 130 with an opportunityto review data input by the sales personnel 120 (e.g., through access tothe record(s) 119), to input additional data relating to the customer'sproduct environment, validate entered data, combinations of the same orthe like. In certain embodiments, access by the customer is providedthrough a uniform resource locator (URL) address sent to the customer130 by the workflow automation system 102.

In certain embodiments, the customer 130 accesses the client portal 110at the time the customer 130 is interested in obtaining professionalservices from the provider. In such embodiments, the customer 130 can beforwarded a summary of the customer product environment informationinitially input by the sales personnel 120 into the pre-sales portal105. This advantageously allows the customer 130 to review the productenvironment data for accuracy and/or completeness before any deploymentof services and without the time-consuming process of back-and-forthrevising of a particular Statement of Work or like project description.

The client portal 110 can also communicate with the customer 130 toobtain additional details relating to the status of the customer'sproduct environment. For instance, the client portal 110 can provide thecustomer 130 with one or more questions in order to obtain data on sitereadiness, customer contact and location information, additionalinformation regarding the scope of deployment, hours of operation of thecustomer, which libraries are being used by the customer, customerstorage preferences (e.g., magnetic disk or tape), other customerpreferences, combinations of the same or the like. Such operation of theclient portal 110 advantageously allows the customer 130 to use its ownwords or phrases with respect to its requirements, which language islater used by field personnel 140 to verify that the customer'sexpectations have been met.

Thus, unlike conventional PSA applications, which are primarily based ondetails of the service provider personnel and resources, the workflowautomation system 102 provides system access to the customer 130 andrequests customer feedback and validation. This customer-specificapproach and system advantageously enables a service provider to obtainadditional customer input and further customize its services early inthe workflow automation process, thereby increasing the degree to whichone or more projects later scoped or recommended by the provider to thecustomer will coincide with the customer's expectations.

For instance, FIG. 4 illustrates a screenshot of an exemplary embodimentof a portal page for obtaining project-specific information from acustomer by the client portal 110. In particular, FIG. 4 illustrates a“Request Manager” portal page 400 that obtains information from thecustomer with respect to its data management product environment.

The client portal 110 also advantageously provides a validation thatquoted or recommended services align with the customer expectations. Forinstance, in certain embodiments, when discrepancies exist between datareceived by the pre-sales portal 105 and data received from the customer130 by the client portal 110, the manager module 117 can automaticallynote the discrepancies and/or alert the services manager 125 and/orprofessional services operations personnel 135 for review and/orredress. In certain embodiments, other noteworthy issues related to thecustomer site based on information received through the client portal110 can also be recorded and/or communicated to the proper personnel. Anexample of a portal output that includes site issue automated analysisis illustrated below in Table 1.

TABLE 1 THE FOLLOWING ITEMS HAVE BEEN FLAGGED FOR REVIEW: Site #1:MediaAgent #1: Tape/Device Drivers for Backup Targets NOT Installed Site#1: MediaAgent #1: System Mgmt Servers or daemons are running on thisserver Site #1: Target Device Environment: Separate HBAs NOT used foreach connection type (Tape and Disk) Site #1: Target Device Environment:Disk Array is NOT Attached to CommServe/MediaAgent(s) Site #1: TargetDevice Environment: Disk Targets(s)/Mount Point(s) for the Disk Arrayhave NOT been assigned to the(ir) appropriate servers Site #1: TargetDevice Environment: Backups WILL BE written to CAS or WORM-lockedstorage Client/Company: XYZ Company Submitter's E-Mail Address:is_admin@xyz.com Request ID: 10174 Street Address 1234 Any Rd. CityCityname State/Province Statename Zip/Postal Code 99999 Country UnitedStates Name John Smith Office Phone 111 123 4567 Cell Phone 111 123 4568E-Mail Address jsmith@xyz.com Name Mary Jones Studer Office Phone 111123 4569 Cell Phone N/A E-Mail Address mjones@xyz.com Received CommVaultSoftware Media? Yes To complete this project, the customer's Enterpriserequires: Certification of Insurance from CommVault: No Non-DisclosureAgreement from CommVault: No Contractor Badges for CommVault Engineers:No Network Security Statement from CommVault: No CommVault's Engineer(s)Issued Temp Sys Admin Rights? Yes Current Backup Software in theEnterprise? NetWorker Software/Services associated with this projectwere Reseller: Backup purchased from: Investments CommServe Server NameCommserve CommServe IP Address 123.1.1.1 CommServe Operating SystemWindows 2003 SP1 CommServe CPU Type 32-bit Intel CommServe CPU Count 1CommServe RAM 4 GB CommServe Network Connection Multihomed CommServededicated to backup operations? Yes This server can be rebooted duringbusiness hours? Yes Internet Information Server Installed on thisserver? Yes Internet Explorer 5.5 (or better) Installed on all WindowsYes Servers? Is CommVault software Currently Installed in Customer'sData No Center(s)? FTP Access Possible from the CommServe? YesMediaAgent Server Name Mediaagent MediaAgent IP Address 111.1.1.1MediaAgent Operating System Windows 2003 SP1 MediaAgent CPU Type 32-bitIntel MediaAgent CPU Count 2 MediaAgent RAM 8 GB MediaAgent NetworkConnection Multihomed MediaAgent dedicated to backup operations? YesThis server can be rebooted during business hours? Yes Tape/DeviceDrivers for Backup Targets Installed? No Systems Mgmt Services ordaemons running on this server? Yes Is there a firewall between thisserver and the CommServe? No MediaAgent Clustered? No Targets for BackupOps for this Project Installed and Working? Yes Support Contracts inplace for Target Hardware? Yes Will Copies of Backups be Made forOffsite Storage? Yes How will MediaAgents attach to targets? SCSI HBAManufacturer Used for Connection to Targets: Other Separate HBAs usedfor each connection type? (Disk or Tape) No Backups Written to Tape? YesNumber of Tape Drives Used for Backup & Recovery: 2 Type(s) of TapeDrives to be Used: LTO3 Labeled Tapes in the Library? Yes LibraryManufacturer/Vendor: HP Library Model Number/Designation: 6030MediaAgent(s) at this site will be writing to the Tape Library: BackupsWritten to Disk? Yes Disk Array Attached to CommServe/MediaAgent(s)? NoTarget Disk for Backups Regularly Defragmented? Yes Disk target(s)/mountpoint(s) for the disk array been assigned No to the(ir) appropriateservers? How large are the disk target(s)/mount point(s) for backup?Awaiting delivery of disk arrays Snapshots Used for Disk-Based Backup inthe Enterprise? No How many days of backup will be maintained on disk?one week Should images on disk also be copied to tape for offsite Yesstorage? Enterprise Disk Environment Includes NAS Storage? Yes NASStorage Backup Method: shares NAS Manufacturer: NetApp Backups writtento CAS/WORM-locked storage? No MediaAgent(s) at this site will bewriting to the Tape Library: The following quantities of platforms willbe part of this project: Windows 2000/2003: 60 Sun Solaris: 4 LinuxRedHat: 10 Apple Macintosh: 3 Anti-Virus Software Running on the ClientSystems? Yes Anti-Virus Software Vendor: Symantec Firewalls Separate theClient Systems from the CommServe/ No MediaAgent(s)? Completing Remote(WAN-based) Backups of Client Systems No to the CommServe/MediaAgent(s)?Client Network Connections: Gigabit Ethernet Completing online databasebackups of Microsoft Exchange? No Completing online database backups ofOracle? Yes RMAN Currently Used for 3rd Party Backups of Oracle? YesOracle Version(s): Oracle DBA onsite that will be accessible to theCommVault No engineer during the project? RCAT DB and RMAN CatalogAlready Created? No Oracle on a Cluster? No Are the ORA Target Databasesin ‘archivelog’ mode? No Are all ORA Databases known/registered intnsnames.ora? No Network Authentication Enabled for the Databases thatwill be No completing backup? Oracle is running on Linux? No Completingonline database backups of SAP? No Completing online database backups ofMicrosoft SQL Yes Server? SQL Server Version: SQL 7, SQL 2000 What toolis used currently to complete backups of SQL 3rd Party Backup Server?Tool SQL Server Clustered? No Completing online database backups ofMicrosoft SharePoint No Portal Server? Completing online databasebackups of Lotus Notes? No Completing online database backups of NovellGroupWise? No Completing online database backups of dB2? No

As can be seen, Table 1 provides an example of a completed report thatcan be sent (e.g., automatically) to the services manager 125, fieldpersonnel 140, and/or field engineers for review after receiving inputfrom the customer 130. In certain embodiments, the report includes alist of items that have been identified as potential risks or problemsand/or specifies the project scope prior to the generation of aStatement of Work or like project definition.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the customer input prior to thedelivery of the particular service(s) advantageously addresses an“expectation gap,” which often exists in conventional PSA applications,between the services scoped and sold by the professional servicesprovider and the services expected by the customer. As discussed above,such timing of obtaining the customer input advantageously allows forearly comparison with the recommended services scoped from the productenvironment data gathered by the pre-sales portal 105.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1, the manager module 117 communicateswith the post-deployment portal 115. In certain embodiments, thepost-deployment portal 115 provides an interface from the workflowautomation system 102 to the field personnel 140. For example, thepost-deployment portal 115 can allow the field personnel to access(e.g., read and/or modify) the record(s) 119 maintained by the managermodule 117. In certain embodiments, the data in the record(s) 119 can beused to ensure that field personnel 140, such as one or more onsiteengineers, have necessary and/or relevant information regarding thecustomer site configuration, status, and/or customer expectations tocomplete a particular project on time and at an appropriate level ofcustomer satisfaction.

The post-deployment portal 115 can also receive additional informationfrom field personnel 140 at the completion of a phase of work associatedwith the recommended professional services. For instance, thepost-deployment portal 115 can advantageously obtain data regarding thestatus of the project at the final day of onsite work, any issuesassociated with the site deployment/software, the next steps in theproject for an account management group, combinations of the same or thelike.

For instance, FIG. 5 illustrates a screenshot of an exemplary embodimentof a portal page for obtaining project completion information by thepost-deployment portal 115. In particular, FIG. 5 illustrates anexemplary “Trip Report Manager” portal page 500 usable to create areport after the completion of a particular project. As shown, theportal page 500 includes data relating to time management (calendaring),support escalations (trouble reports management), work completed detailand relevant site licensing information.

FIG. 6 further illustrates a screenshot of an exemplary embodiment of a“Customer Site Visit Report” 600 completed by the field personnel 140.In particular, the post-project report 600 requests data that relates tocompletion of the project and a project survey analysis. The report 600also allows the field personnel 140 to identify any required follow-upactions with respect to the project.

In certain embodiments, when the post-deployment portal 115 hascompleted gathering information, a project customer satisfaction surveycan be sent to the customer 130 (e.g., automatically via email). In yetother embodiments, the customer 130 can complete the survey throughaccess to the client portal 110. In certain embodiments, a completionnotice can also be sent to the manager module 117 and/or the servicesmanager 125 when the customer 130 completes the survey. In yet furtherembodiments, through the automation of customer satisfaction analysis,post-deployment, the following advantages can be achieved: (1) dayssales outstanding (DSO) is reduced as the account receivables departmenthas access to verification that projects were successfully concluded;and (2) support tap out rates for maintenance can be reduced as acomplete deployment history regarding the project is accessible to theservice provider.

As will be appreciated, FIGS. 2-6 present examples of pages that may beused throughout a professional services automation process and shouldnot be used to limit the scope of the disclosure. Rather, in otherembodiments, other or additional pages or means for gathering ordisplaying data can be used to collect or display more or less data thanwhat is shown in FIGS. 2-6.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a workflow automation process 700usable with the workflow automation environment 100 of FIG. 1, accordingto certain embodiments of the invention. In certain embodiments, theprocess 700 can be used by a professional services provider to generatea comprehensive history of a project's lifecycle. Moreover, the process700 advantageously utilizes means for obtaining customer input prior tothe post-sale deployment of professional services.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the workflow automation process 700 is dividedinto three stages. In general, Stage 1 includes receiving and analyzingdata to set up or scope a particular project based on productenvironment information received from the customer's site. Stage 2comprises comparing what services are recommended based on data fromStage 1 and what the customer expects as define in data receiveddirectly from the customer. Stage 2 further comprises presenting toprofessional services management personnel relevant issues for analysisand review as automatically identified based on the above-describedcomparison and any additional information received from the customer.Finally, Stage 2 provides the customer with an opportunity to validatethe data obtained in Stage 1. Stage 3 represents the closure, orcompletion, of the project and provides a narrative of the deployment.This third stage can also be used to account for any issues associatedwith the project that would impact revenue through loss of recognitioncapability or dragging customer satisfaction issues. In certainembodiments, access to information gathered in this stage can also beprovided to financial personnel to perform, for example, an audit ofcompleted work to validate services revenue.

For ease of explanation, the workflow automation process 700 will bedescribed with reference to the modules of the workflow automationenvironment 100 of FIG. 1. In particular, the workflow automationprocess 700 begins at Block 705, wherein the pre-sales portal 105receives data regarding a sale opportunity. For instance, the data canbe collected by sales personnel 120 at a potential customer's site andinput and/or transmitted to the pre-sales portal 105. In certainembodiments, this data advantageously includes information regarding thecustomer's product environment, as is discussed in more detail above.

At Block 710, the data is forwarded to the manager module 117 and/or theservices manager 125. For instance, the data can be used to populate oneor more records 119 maintained by the manager module 117. Afteranalyzing the data, a quote for recommended services is generated basedon the customer's product environment (Block 715).

At Block 720, the client portal 110 provides the customer 130 with anopportunity to review the record(s) 119 based on the data input by thesales personnel 120 and to receive additional data and/or comments fromthe customer 130 (Block 720). At Block 725, the manager module 117compares the customer data with the recommended services and alerts theservices manager 125 or other professional services personnel 135 of anydiscrepancies (Block 730).

Once the recommended services are inline with the customer'sexpectations, the appropriate project description (e.g., Statement ofWork, work breakdown) is finalized and field personnel 140 are deployedto the customer site to perform the professional services. At Block 735,the post-deployment portal 115 receives data from the field personnel140 regarding the completion of a phase of work. This data is thenforwarded to the manager module 117 for updating the appropriaterecord(s) 119 (Block 740). This stored data obtained through each of theportals is then advantageously available for future reference andanalysis to improve the delivery of subsequent professional services.

FIG. 8 illustrates another embodiment of a workflow automation process800 that provides for customer validation of pre-sales efforts prior topost-sales deployment of professional services. For ease of explanation,the workflow automation process 800 will be described with reference tothe modules of the workflow automation environment 100 of FIG. 1.

The process 800 begins with Block 805, wherein the pre-sales portal 105receives data regarding a customer product environment and/or servicesrequirements. For instance, in a data management environment, such datacan be input by sales personnel 120 of a professional services providerand relate to, for example, the type of storage being performed (e.g.,backup, replication, archive), the types and amount of storage media,the number of computers or servers, the amount of data involved,available recovery systems, combinations of the same or the like.

At Block 810, the pre-sales portal 105 forwards the product environmentdata to the manager module 117, which populates one or more records 119(Block 815). At Block 820, the workflow automation system 100 providesthe customer 130 with access to the record(s) 119 through the clientportal 110. For instance, the workflow automation system 102 (e.g., theclient portal 110 or the manager module 117) can provide a URL addressto the customer 130, which allows the customer access, such as secureaccess, to the appropriate record(s) 119. At this point, the customer130 is prompted to review the product environment data input by thepre-sales personnel 120 for accuracy and/or completeness. Also, thecustomer portal 110 may prompt the customer 130 for additional detailsregarding the client's product work environment and/or professionalservices requirements.

If the customer does not validate the data (Block 825), the clientportal 110 receives corrected and/or additional data concerning theproduct environment through the client portal 110 (Block 830). Themanager module 117 then updates the appropriate record(s) 119 with thecorrected and/or additional data (Block 835). After updating therecords, the process 800 returns to Block 820 to provide the customeraccess to the updated record(s) 119.

In certain embodiments, if the customer 130 fails to respond to theworkflow automation system 102 request for validation (Block 820) in atimely manner, the manager module 117 can alert the professionalservices operations personnel 135. Professional services operationspersonnel 135 can then proactively use the manager module 117 toautomatically generate a reminder notification, which is automaticallytransmitted to the customer 130 to assist in resuming the workflowautomation process 100.

If at Block 825 the customer validates the data representing its productenvironment, the manager module 117 and/or manager 125 generates aStatement of Work or like project description, which can be followed bya deployment of corresponding professional services. Thus, the process800 provides that the generated Statement of Work or like projectdescription is based on a customer-validated description of theapplicable project environment.

Although the workflow automation processes 700 and 800 have beendescribed with reference to particular arrangements, it will beunderstood from the disclosure herein that other embodiments of theprocesses 700, 800 can vary from the flowcharts depicted in FIGS. 7 and8. For example, in certain embodiments, the workflow automation process700 further automatically generate one or more Statements of Work, taskworkflows, work breakdown structure, statement of task or other projectdescriptions that are reviewed and validated by the client prior tobeing sent to the services manager 125 for approval and execution.

Moreover, in certain embodiments, the data collected through the portals105, 110 and 115 regarding the delivery of services can be maintained ina searchable repository, such as one or more databases, post deployment.Such data can be later used in assisting professional services and/orcustomer support organizations to better manage relevant detailsassociated with each deployment's successes and/or issues. Moreover, thestored data can also be mined by the professional services provider forreference information and additional sales opportunities.

In certain embodiments, the history of the completed project, ascollected through each of the portals 105, 110, 115 provides data pointsthat can be used to scope other projects of a similar nature withincertain regions or geographies. Such embodiments can be advantageouslyused to further create a more extensible services organization throughinformation sharing.

For instance, the data collected through portals 105, 110, 115 canfurther be used to form a knowledge base identifying projects as“successful” or “unsuccessful.” Such information can be later accessedby the services provider to streamline its offerings, focusing on thosedeployments that generate the largest degree of success and scale. Thisinformation can also be used by sales personnel to compile lists ofcustomers, through the contemporaneous capture of detail about eachcompleted project, that may function as references for new sales.

Although certain embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, it iscontemplated that other embodiments of workflow automation systems canalso be used without departing from the scope or spirit of thedisclosure. For example, in certain embodiments of the invention, theworkflow automation system 102 can provide a series of logical gatesassociated with “inbound” services opportunities, logically separatingthese opportunities into two categories: (1) staff augmentation services(e.g., services that do not require a Statement of Work, advanced designvalidation and/or specific risk analysis to ensure the success ofservices delivery); and (2) project-based services (e.g., services thatgenerally require advanced analysis of the opportunity to ensure thatthe project is delivered in a manner that is deemed successful to theend user recipient of the services).

Systems and modules described herein can comprise software, firmware,hardware, or any combination(s) of software, firmware, or hardwaresuitable for the purposes described herein. Software and other modulescan reside on servers, workstations, personal computers, computerizedtablets, PDAs, and other devices suitable for the purposes describedherein. Software and other modules can be accessible via local memory,via a network, via a browser, or via other means suitable for thepurposes described herein. Data structures described herein can comprisecomputer files, variables, programming arrays, programming structures,or any electronic information storage schemes or methods, or anycombinations thereof, suitable for the purposes described herein. Userinterface elements described herein can comprise elements from graphicaluser interfaces, command line interfaces, and other interfaces suitablefor the purposes described herein.

Embodiments of the invention are also described above with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, systems andcomputer program products. It will be understood that each block of theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations ofblocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can beimplemented by computer program instructions. These computer programinstructions can be provided to a processor of a general purposecomputer, special purpose computer, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions,which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus, create means for implementing the actsspecified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions can also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to operate in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instruction meansthat implement the acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagramblock or blocks. The computer program instructions can also be loadedonto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to causea series of operations to be performed on the computer or otherprogrammable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process suchthat the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the acts specified in theflowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, theseembodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are notintended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel methodsand systems described herein can be embodied in a variety of otherforms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in theform of the methods and systems described herein can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the disclosure. The accompanying claims andtheir equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications aswould fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer system that providescustomer-validated Statement of Work workflow automation for datastorage environments, the computer system comprising: computer hardwarecomprising one or more computer processors; a first portal moduleexecuting in the one or more computer processors, the first portalconfigured to receive first data indicative of a storage architecture ofa first data storage system, the first data comprising at least firststorage configuration information, customer storage media typepreference, an amount of available storage components, andrecommendations by the service provider for modifying the first datastorage system, the first data input by a service provider; a secondportal module executing on one or more computer processors, the secondportal module configured to transmit the first data and therecommendations for modifying the first data storage system for reviewby the customer, the second portal module being further configured toreceive input of second storage configuration information input by acustomer about the first data system, expectations from the customerabout the modifications to the first data storage system, and validationinput from the customer regarding the data storage system environment; amanager module executing on the one or more computer processors, themanager module further configured to: automatically compare the firstconfiguration information about the first data system input by the firstservice provider with the second storage configuration information inputby the customer, automatically compare the recommendations input by theservice provider with the expectations input by the customer,automatically alert a services manager with any discrepancies associatedwith the comparing of the first storage configuration information withthe second storage configuration information and any discrepanciesassociated with the comparing of the recommendations with theexpectations; after a service manager or professional services personnelresolve any discrepancies, the manager module further configured togenerate, based at least on the first data and the validation input, acustomer-validated Statement of Work to be performed with respect to theproject related to the first data storage system; after the customer hasaccepted the proposed project Statement of Work, a third portal moduleconfigured to receive completion data regarding completion of theservices performed with respect to the first data storage system; and asearchable repository comprising project history data corresponding to ahistory of the project's lifecycle configured to be used to assistprofessional services or customer support organizations to better managerelevant details associated with the Statement of Work.
 2. The computersystem of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second portalmodules comprises a web-based interface.
 3. The computer system of claim1, wherein the first, second and third portal modules operate on asingle server.
 4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the managermodule is further configured to identify one or more aspects of thefirst data storage system needing additional description from thecustomer.
 5. The computer system of claim 1, additionally comprisingcompletion data regarding the performance of the one or more recommendedservices.
 6. The computer system of claim 1, additionally comprising oneor more computer processors that are configured to generate a reportafter completion of the project.
 7. The computer system of claim 1,additionally comprising obtaining a survey from the customer uponcompletion of the project.
 8. A method that provides customer-validatedStatement of Work workflow automation for data storage environments, themethod comprising: receiving first data with a first portal moduleexecuting on computer hardware comprising one or more computerprocessors, the first data indicative of a storage architecture of afirst data storage system, the first data comprising at least firststorage configuration information, customer storage media typepreference, an amount of available storage components, andrecommendations by the service provider for modifying the first datastorage system, the first data input by a service provider; transmittingwith a second portal module, the first data and the recommendations formodifying the first data storage system for review by the customer;receiving input of second storage configuration information with thesecond portal module executing on one or more computer processors, thesecond storage configuration information input by a customer about thefirst data system, expectations from the customer about themodifications to the first data storage system, and validation inputfrom the customer regarding the data storage system environment;automatically comparing the first configuration information about thefirst data system input by the first service provider with the secondstorage configuration information input by the customer, automaticallycomparing the recommendations input by the service provider with theexpectations input by the customer, automatically alerting a servicesmanager with any discrepancies associated with the comparing of thefirst storage configuration information with the second storageconfiguration information and any discrepancies associated with thecomparing of the recommendations with the expectations; after a servicemanager or professional services personnel resolve any discrepancies,generating, based at least on the first data and the validation input, acustomer-validated Statement of Work to be performed with respect to theproject related to the first data storage system; after the customer hasaccepted the proposed project Statement of Work, receiving completiondata regarding completion of the services performed with respect to thefirst data storage system; and storing in a searchable repository,project history data corresponding to a history of the project'slifecycle configured to be used to assist professional services orcustomer support organizations to better manage relevant detailsassociated with the Statement of Work.
 9. The method of claim 8, whereinat least one of the first and second portal modules comprises aweb-based interface.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first,second and third portal modules operate on a single server.
 11. Themethod of claim 8, further comprising identifying one or more aspects ofthe first data storage system needing additional description from thecustomer.
 12. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising obtainingcompletion data regarding the performance of the one or more recommendedservices.
 13. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising generatinga report after completion of the project.
 14. The method of claim 1,additionally comprising obtaining a survey from the customer uponcompletion of the project.